Tape dispenser



Sept. 9, 1952 F. VIERSON 2,610,000

TAPE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 5, 1948 INVENTOR. fi e'a MERSON.

Patented Sept. 9, 1952' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TAPE DISPENSER Fred Vierson, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application October 5, 1948, Serial No. 52,820

Claims. 1

My invention relates to tape dispensers, and particularly to a dispenser adapted to receive a plurality of rolls of tape of the pressure sensitive type.

It is an object or" my invention to provide a dispenser in the form of a kit for receiving plural rows of rolls of tape, the rolls of each row being in axial alignment. An important purpose of such a kit is to facilitate the marking of shelves of articles in grocery stores, particularly those of the self-serve type.

One row may be composed of a group of rolls, each roll being composed of tape imprinted with a continuous series of names or trademarks of one particular product. Thus the salesmen of a company supplying a number of items to grocery stores, by the use of such a kit, may assist in the marking of the names of each product on the particular shelf or shelves to which it is assigned. The other row of a two roll kit is provided with a group of rolls, each composed of tape imprinted with a continuous series of price indicia so that the salesman, having marked the shelf with the name of the product, may quickly add the current price for that particular item.

While the use of the kit is of great assistance in the merchandising of various articles, and as a method no doubt has elements of novelty, it is particularly my object in this application to'disclose and claim the mechanical structure of the unit. 0

In such a tape dispenser kit it is my object to provide a frame member having a divider bar extending between two parallel chambers lengthwise of the frame, each chamber being subdivided into a series of spaces for receiving rolls of tape retained between metalplates, one on each side of the roll, the rolls being held in position by separator plates and the plates being received in slotted portions of the divider bar. Thus it is my object to provide a dispenser in which each roll is received and functions independently of each other roll.

It is my object to provide stamped separator plates of uniform construction whereby any plate will function irrespective of its position. A further object is to provide a pair of cut-off knives which preferably are formed as a unitary structure and which will function one on either side of the kit, there being one cutting edge for each group of rolls, and one readily removable holding bar for the whole assembly which functions properly, irrespective of the number of rolls of tape which are retained within the dispenser.

The foregoing objects and other objects in structural improvement and the simplification of working and replacement parts, I accomplish by that certain combination of elements of which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment.

In the drawings:

7 ing how the cover snaps together in closed position.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the kit with the cover removed and showing six rolls of tape in each row.

Figure 5 is a sectional view 5--5 in Figure 4. 0

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one end of the kit showing the frame structure and divider bar.

Figure 7 is a plan view of one pair of rolls of tape with a separator plate on each side of the rolls, this combination comprising a set for mounting in the dispenser.

Figure 8 is a sectional View along the. lines 88 in Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the separator plates.

The frame is composed of a bottom plate I, secured to the divider bar with screws 2. The bottom plate which though integrally formed is a cut-off knife assembly, after extending fiatwise out from the divider is inclined upwardly on each side as indicated at and then bent downwardly as indicated at 4, and then outwardly and along the lines upwardly as indicated at 5, cutting teeth 6 being provided along the outer edge on each side to provide a tear-on knife for strips of tape which are unwound and severed by drawing the tape laterally across the tear-off knife. The bottom plate or tear-off knife assembly may, it will be observed, be easily replaced by a new one when the teeth become dulled, broken off or bent.

At each end, secured to the divider plate with The separator plates have notchedportions I2 which fit snugly on the divider plate 13 below the notches 9 in this divider plate, the portions M of the separator plates being received within the notches. The lower corners of the notched portion are rounded off as indicated at [2a to .facilitate manipulation.

The separator plate have two semi-circular end Walls with short extensions I5 which fit down against the bottom plate. H

Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, a set is composed of a roll of tape with a separator plate on each side of the roll, one as a right and the other as a left. Each notch 9 in the divider plate 13 is wide enough to receive two separator plates, b ack to back, as will be obvious, one plate bein a left for a roll on the right, and the other being a right for a roll on the left. At the ends a thin slot 9a receives only a single separator plate.

After the desired number of sets of individual rolls of tape, as indicated at A, are mount-ed in the dispenser, a hold-down bar 16, which is slightly bowed, is moved into position and secured with a thumb screw ll. It is a feature of my invention that this unitary member holds in position whatever number of rolls of tape are in the dispenser. The fact that the bar is bowed lengthwise provides a sort of resilient clamping action throughout its entire length, thereby preventing any looseness or rattling. Also it should be observed that thethumb screw I! has a recessed neck portion Ha which prevents displacement and loss of the thumb screw. The bar It may be released from position on the divider plate i3 without becoming dis-associated with the hold down bar.

The thumb screw El and hold-down bar it may quite conveniently be used to hold a flexible cover [8, the lower ends of which may be drawn around the kit and snapped together with snap fasteners or eyelets, as indicated at 59. Thi is accomplished by providing the cover with a hole through which the thumb screw ll may be extended.

The use of the kit, by which I mean the complete assembly, will be apparent. A salesman removing the kit from his pocket or sales kit, opens the flexible cover and pulls out and tears off from the individual rolls on one side of the kit, the appropriate names for the products on the shelves. Then from the other row he tears off the necessary price indicia piece. Where he needs a price of two numerals, for example 18, he tears off a piece from the roll composed of a continuous series of lo imprints, and follows it by tearing off a piece from the roll composed of a continuous series of 8c imprints, and partially overlaps the second on the first to make 18.

While I have described the utility of the dispensing kit for marking shelves with product names and prices, the same system may be used for many other purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tape dispensing kit provided with means for mounting two parallel rows of axially spaced and aligned rolls of tape therein, and a tear-01f knife assembly formed as an integral bottom plate having a pair of tear-off knives extending substantially the length of the kit, one on one side and one on the other, one tearofi knife for the rolls on one side, and the other tear-off knife for the rolls on the other, and means for detachably securing said tear-off knife assembly in position on the kit, and a series of separator plates of uniform configuration arranged in sets of pairs with the inner or front surfaces, which engage the sides of the rolls being adapted to support one roll in each of the two parallel rows of rolls, said sets being aligned with the separator plates back to back.

2. A tape dispensing kit for a plurality of rows of axially spaced and aligned rolls of tape, comprising end plates; a divider bar having spaced 4 slots connecting the end plates; a series of pairs of removable separator plates of uniform configuration, the inner sides of each pair which engage the sides of rolls, being adapted to engage and support said rolls, the outer side of one plate of each of said pairs contacting the outer side of 'a plate of the next pair, said contacting plates being positioned in the spaced slots in the divider bar; and a tear-off knife for each row of rolls, said knives being positioned adjacent to and substantially parallel with the axes of said rolls.

3. The tape dispensing kit of claim '2 having a hold-down bar provided with means for attachment to the divider bar for retaining the separator plates in position in the above mentioned slots, thereby supporting any number of rolls up to the maximum capacity of the kit.

4. A tape dispensing kit for a plurality of rows of axial-1y spaced and aligned rolls of tape, comprising end plates; a divider bar having spaced slots connecting the end plates; a series of pairs of removable separator plates of uniform configuration, the inner sides of each pair being adapted to engage and support said rolls, the outer side of one plate of each of said pairs contacting the outer side of a plate of the next pair, said contacting plates being positioned in the spaced slots in the divider bar; a bottom plate extending out from the divider bar and having at its lateral edges a tear-off" knife for each row of rolls, said knives being positioned adjacent to and substantially parallel with the axes of said rolls; and means for detachably securing said bottom plate to said divider plate.

5. A tape dispensing kit for a plurality of rows of axially spaced and aligned rolls of tape, comprising end plates; a divider bar having spaced slots connecting the end plates; a series of pairs of removable separator plates of uniform configuration, the inner sides of each pair being adapted to engage and support said rolls, the outer side of one plate of each of said pairs contacting the outer side of a plate of the next pair, said contacting plates being positioned in spaced slots in the divider bar; a bottom plate extending out from the divider bar and having at its lateral edges a' tear-off knife for each row of rolls, said knives being positioned adjacent to and substantially parallel with the axes of said rolls; a hold down bar provided with attachment to the divider bar for retaining the separator plates in position in the above mentioned slots, said separator plates supporting any number of rolls up to the maximum capacity of the kit; a flexible cover for the kit, said means for attachment of the hold-down bar to the divider bar providing means for securing the flexible cover on the kit.

FRED VIE'RSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 15,118 Carr June 7, 1921 7518a Scott Apr. 19, 1904 1,574,832 McDill Mar. 2, 1926 1,896,343 Bennett Feb. 7, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 405,193 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1934 

